Apple’s release of iOS 14.5 was notable for a variety of reasons, but one which has gone somewhat unnoticed is to the Maps app. You are now able to report incidents in real time for other Apple Maps users. Not only can this save you time, energy and money, but it can also potentially save lives as well. For now, the feature is only available in the U.S. and China but is expected to be available internationally in the future.
Also read: Useful Apple Maps Features You May Not Know
Report Using Apple Maps
Please note that any incident reporting should only be done by someone not in the driver’s seat or while stopped! That said, when you’re in the car and a passenger is using Apple Maps (or you’re using it through CarPlay), you can quickly report an incident while you are using turn-by-turn navigation. Note that users in mainland China will see a different set of incidents to report, and that is likely to be the case for future international rollouts as well.
Each accident is fairly obvious, but as a reminder:
- Hazard: this incident type is best used for something on the road or that could be a danger to you or another driver. It could be a piece of rubber from another tire, something that fell off another car, etc.
- Accident: this incident type is best used for anything from a minor fender bender to a major accident that blocks or impedes traffic.
- Speed Check: while somewhat controversial, there are still plenty of Apple users who will appreciate the use of this functionality to help avoid being trapped in a speed trap.
Report Incident While Using Turn-by-Turn Navigation
1. Swipe up from the bottom of the turn-by-turn navigation screen and tap on the “Report” button.
2. You can now choose from different incident types, like a speed check, hazard, accident, roadwork, etc. Make sure you attempt to place the pin as close to the location of the incident as possible to better help other drivers.
Report Incident While Using Apple Maps
Even when you are not navigating, you can still quickly report an incident, which is good for anyone who walks or bikes using maps.
1. Tap the info (“i”) button in the upper-right corner of the map screen.
2. Tap on “Report an issue,” and the next screen will have a similar set of options to what you would see while navigating in Apple Maps.
3. Choose from Accident, Hazard or Speed Check and as you did above and carefully place the pin as near as you can get to the incident. You can add some additional detail as well, including photos or descriptions to help other drivers avoid any areas you have flagged.
Report Incident Using Siri
As anyone driving on the road should try and remain hands-free with their devices, Apple has made sure that Siri can help report any incidents. Using Siri is pretty straightforward and should be immediately familiar to anyone already using Apple’s voice assistant.
Start by saying “Hey Siri,” then follow up with one of the following phrases:
- Hey Siri, there’s a speed check
- Hey Siri, there’s something in the road
- Hey Siri, there’s an accident on the road
- Hey Siri, there’s a crash up ahead
- Hey Siri, there’s a hazard on the road
As long as any variant of the above is pretty close, it should work, and Siri will immediately report the incident to the map.
Report Incident Using CarPlay
When using CarPlay, it’s just as easy to report an incident as it is using an iPhone.
When you are in the turn-by-turn navigation screen, you will see the “i” button for incident. Tap on that button and choose from Accident, Hazard or Speed Check. When your report has been entered, an icon will now appear on the map for any hazard or accident. A speed check report will issue a notification while using directions.
Final Thoughts
Apple Maps has improved in so many ways since it was first launched to the world. Where Google Maps was once the clear leader, the navigation landscape is now vastly different. Both Apple Maps and Google offer a similar yet different experience, while Waze is still focused on grabbing users from both platforms. What’s your map app of choice?
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